There's one segment of American society that has perhaps not been mentioned enough in all of the discussions surrounding the spread of COVID-19 and in efforts to protect those who are most at risk for serious complications from the virus.
The homeless don't have consistent access to washrooms to observe recommended hygiene protocols and, at night, their very best option in terms of finding a place to sleep is typically a crowded shelter, if they can secure a bed. Such conditions are, needless to say, not exactly conducive to self-isolation measures or social distancing.
View from the Wing reported that California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced a cost-sharing initiative with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-a nationwide first-aimed at placing thousands of homeless individuals who're especially vulnerable to the coronavirus into accommodations where they can safely shelter in place amid the pandemic.
On April 3, 2020, it was announced that about 900 homeless had been placed into hotel accommodations that had previously been sitting empty amid the coronavirus crisis. Newsom said that the state had thus far leased 6,867 hotel and motel rooms under the collaborative endeavor, called 'Project Roomkey'.
With a recent spike in COVID-19 cases seen coming out of homeless shelters between San Francisco and the Fresno area, and one homeless man having already died from the disease in Santa Clara, the state is trying to get people off the streets and into these rooms as quickly as possible.
FEMA will reportedly fund 75 percent of the hotel leases, with the state ultimately aiming to secure 15,000 rooms to put toward the purpose. Even so, that amount would cover just a fraction of California's homeless population-the largest of any state in the union-of at least 150,000.
Currently, only homeless persons who test positive for the virus, exhibit associated symptoms or are deemed particularly susceptible to becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 (due to factors like age or underlying health conditions) will be extended an invitation to occupy these federally-funded accommodations.
"This is the crisis that predated the most current crisis in the state of California," Newsom said, according to CalMatters. "We're doing everything in our power to meet it head-on." The governor also said that the state was seeking permanent solutions to alleviate California's homelessness problem, even after the pandemic has passed. "We're not just thinking short term," he assured.
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